Search form

Crimes &amp; Criminals

Los Angeles Police say the crown jewel of the city's library system recently earned a dubious distinction: It had more thefts last year of personal property -- excluding shoplifting -- than any location in the downtown area.

LAPD Lt. Paul Vernon said there were 31 theft reports filed in 2008, including wallets and purses, followed bicycles, laptops and other electronic equipment. This year, there have been eight reported thefts -- four for bicycles versus three bikes for the entirety of 2008 -- on pace to surpass last year's total.

Shelly J. Koontz, 39, was arrested just after 8 p.m. at her residence after a warrant had been issued. She was originally charged with fifth-degree theft for keeping "The Freedom Writers Diary," which she checked out from the Jesup Public Library in April 2008.

An Omaha woman who lost her library card said its disappearance nearly wound up costing her hundreds of dollars.

Michelle Anderson said she last remembered using her library card in September.
"I think I used that self-checkout and, being me, I left my card on the self-checkout," she said. "It's the only thing I can think of.

A couple of months later, notices from the library started arriving in the mail. Anderson said she threw them away, thinking they were for a $5 fine she owes.

It wasn't until another letter arrived from a collection agency that she realized someone had checked out more than $584 worth of materials in her name and the library was holding her accountable.

The longtime law librarian at the Santa Maria court complex is facing felony charges for allegedly burglarizing the Solvang residence of a local attorney and stealing firearms and jewelry. Lompoc (CA) Record.

Zaharias, of Santa Maria, is due in court Jan. 13 to be formally charged, according to a source with the District Attorney’s Office who asked to remain anonymous.

The librarian is suspected of breaking into and burglarizing the Solvang condo of attorney Milton H. Yoshimoto on Dec. 12, according to the source. Zaharias later tried to sell guns stolen from the residence at an Oxnard gun shop, the source said.

On Sunday, Parker pursued a thief after he grabbed a collection box of money donated for the library's Family Book Club. In the process, she fractured a tibia and the thief got away - but not with any money. Go Josie!

The incident took place Sunday about 9:35 p.m. at the Borders store in the Arborland shopping area in east Ann Arbor. Parker was volunteering with a gift-wrapping program that benefits the book club. While Parker was wrapping gifts, a man in his 20s approached and stole the donation box, and Parker instinctively went after him.

"He tripped in front of her and she shoved him to keep from falling into him, and twisted her knee trying to recover,'' said Prue Rosenthal, a library board member.

"He went flat down, crushing the box containing the money and then he scrambled up and ran away,'' Rosenthal said in an e-mail account of the incident. MLive story.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center, part of the Federal Bureau of Investigations in the United States, posted a warning about a potential attack on a particular sort of system. In private branch exchange ("PBX") settings, entities like offices or even dormitories can conserve the number of external telephone lines needed while allowing in-house station to station contact. For any libraries using the package Asterisk, there is a Caller ID spoofing vulnerability that may force an upgrade.

The holidays are a very stressful time of year and a great opportunity for criminals to do bad things. Keeping in mind patron privacy laws is one way to ensure the case the FBI notes won't be a problem. Patching software holes is another part of a holistic solution.

The Choctawhatchee High School librarian, concerned that someone had been removing money from the "school store" cash box, marked two $1 bills to try and catch the culprit, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office offense report. She had a suspect in mind and photocopied the bills before placing them in there.